Tamale Lentil Casserole...

I had this dish awhile back at my friend Mendy's. It was delicious! I am always looking for a meatless meal to make and this one is a keeper. In case you don't have an corn bread mixes in the house and have corn meal, there is an alternative recipe for the cornbread topping.


For lentil mixture:

1 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
1 medium green bell pepper, chopped (about 1 cup)
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 cups water
1 ¼ cups dried lentils (10 oz.), sorted and rinsed
1 can (14 oz.) tomato sauce
1 package (1.25 oz.) taco seasoning mix
Cooking spray

For cornbread topping mixture:

1 pkg. (8 ½ oz.) cornbread muffin mix
1 can (8 ½ oz.) cream-style corn
½ cup shredded Cheddar cheese (about 2 oz.)
¼ cup milk
1 large egg

Alternate cornbread recipe from scratch. (Cornbread Topping )
1/2 C. cornmeal
1/2 C. wonder flour
1-1/2 Tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt1 8.5-oz. can cream-style corn
1/2 C. shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 C. milk
1 large egg
Mix all ingredients just until moistened.

Heat oil in 3-quart saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook onion, bell pepper and garlic in oil, stirring frequently, until vegetables are tender.

Stir in water, lentils, tomato sauce and seasoning mix; reduce heat to low. Partially cover and simmer 35 to 40 minutes, or until lentils are tender.

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Spray 2-quart casserole with cooking spray.

Prepare cornbread topping by mixing all topping ingredients together in a bowl until moistened.
Spoon lentil mixture into casserole. Spread topping evenly over lentil mixture.
Bake uncovered 15-20 minutes until topping is golden brown.

Makes 6 servings, about 1 ¼ cups each. Per serving: 295 calories, 8 gm fat, 3 gm saturated fat, 45 mg cholesterol, 48 gm carbohydrates, 2 gm fiber, 10 gm protein, 1,000 mg sodium.

Hash Brown Quiche...

This is a Paula Deen recipe but I got it from my daughter, who had it on a camp out with friends. I must say, I may never make pie crust for the crust again for most of my quiche recipes. This wasn't soggy, the flavor was great..my husband loved it. I used pre diced ham in a package and there was enough for two meals in it. So I put the rest in a Ziplock freezer bag and it will be here when I make this again. I will definately make this again..it's good enough for company!

3 cups, shredded frozen hash browns, thawed and drained

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, melted

3 large eggs, beaten

1 cup half-and-half ( I used 2% milk)

3/4 cup diced cooked ham

1-2 diced green onions

1 cup shredded Cheddar

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Gently press the drained hash browns between paper towels to dry them as best as possible.

In a 9-inch pie plate, toss the hash browns with the melted butter into the plate.

Press them into the bottom and up the sides to form a crust.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown and starting to crisp. It took about 40 minutes for my crust to get golden brown and crisp. Maybe an extra tablespoon of butter would have helped.

Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, combine the remaining ingredients.

When the hash brown crust is ready pour the egg mixture over it and return to the oven.

Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F and bake for about 30 minutes until the quiche is light golden brown on top and puffed.